Renting a car with a known problem?
 

I rented a car from Budget Sea-Tac last Thursday, and once I drove off I found that the remote did not reliably lock/unlock the car. Sometimes it worked the first time, other times it would take ten or more clicks, or trying a sequence of locking and already locked car and then unlocking it. Luckily, it was a rain-free week in Seattle, and I wasn't in any dark and empty parking lots, so it was more of an annoyance than anything else.

When I told the guy at check-in about the problem, he said that he'd had that report before about this car, but since it involves a sensor problem in the vehicle that is expensive to fix, and since the cars turn over pretty quickly, they don't plan to fix it. He gave me a $10 off coupon for my next rental, but I have to say that I was pretty astonished at the notion that they'd keep sending the car out with a problem like this, particularly when they did not seem to have a shortage of cars. If I'd had to stand out in the rain futzing with the key fob for minutes, I'd have been mightily ticked off, and it would seem that in Seattle you've got a pretty good chance of that. Using the key to get into the car works, but sets off the car alarm, which isn't exactly friendly for the other people trying to sleep at the hotel.

What kind of car was it?

Chevrolet Cobalt with a rear spoiler -- all in bright cherry red. Just what every 16 year old boy would love. (Me, not so much -- it is the first time I've had a two door in a long time, and I forgot how huge those doors are and what a pain it is to deal with that in cramped parking lots.)

Yeah that is strange.

First of all, the problem being "expensive to fix" shouldn't be of concern to Budget, the car would be under warranty. Secondly, the turnover issue is probably the root of it. They probably figure it's cheaper to dole out a few coupons to those who complain the loudest than to send it away for a few days while it doesn't earn any revenue. I almost wonder if it wasn't just the remote battery (a $10 fix at any mall kiosk)...

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